


The Rebels

by JackieSBlake7



Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-22
Updated: 2016-06-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 15:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7273459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackieSBlake7/pseuds/JackieSBlake7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the revolution Servalan is trying to regain power again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Rebels

‘Stop it!’ Servalan shouted at her crew – squabbling yet again. It took the group a few moments to become quiet – was she losing what little authority she had left? ‘We will not achieve our goals this way.’ Her goals, that was.  
‘I rank him, so my opinions carry more weight.’ Thus neatly summarising one of the major problems of the opposition to the new regime by those who sought to restore the old.  
Once the grading system of the Federation had had elements of a meritocracy – or at least directed people to the categories of work that was most likely to suit them – though not necessarily that which they thought most appropriate. Over time the system had become warped – those with power and connections secured their dominance, and cliques had replaced parties. Servalan herself had benefited from this – until she had become Sleer and found her path to advancement blocked, and seen the merits of restoring the system as it once had been.  
Now, with the rebels victorious, the system she had known, and used, had broken down – though the meritocracy the rebels had promised was not always evolving in the way they had expected or intended. It was being realised that it would take time, and planning, and cooperation in unexpected ways, to change the way the system worked.  
Under the old regime the lower grades had been allowed their social organisations, the official structures of which allowed the illusion of power and authority denied to them in reality. In some cases they had proved to have more power than might have been expected. Come the changeover these organisations had transformed into political entities in their own right and, with suppressants being withdrawn, regularly challenged the new authorities, sometimes with more logic than their nominal superiors. So far they had resisted all offers of help and experience from such as Servalan. For this alone they would have to be dealt with in due course.   
Servalan looked at the group who claimed to be her followers. ‘How many times do I have to tell you, here there is no rank. *When* we return to power those who serve me well will be duly rewarded.  
Servalan was sure the rebels had not quarrelled so much as her crew.  
‘That’s the whole point – we don’t seem to be getting anywhere.’  
‘I have my plans,’ Servalan replied.  
‘Which you won’t tell us – so we can’t be effective.’   
‘We need to get popular support like the rebels had in the old days.’  
‘The population will come to see that they are supporting an empty illusion,’ Servalan said. ‘An organisation as large as the Federation *needs* strong government.’  
‘Them I listened to the other day were saying they supported the present lot in power because they interfered less and so required less taxes to pay for the interfering.’  
‘They were only looking to their short term interests: we need to take the long view.’  
‘Which is what – apart from your getting power?’   
‘You,’ Servalan said icily, ‘are always free to leave.’ Was she making the statement too often, so it lost its threat? ‘And face the consequences.’  
‘Being? You couldn’t find most of the rebels in the old days, so what success would you have in finding anybody now?’  
‘Were a couple of nice pieces of work I had to turn down because you dragged us off,’ another of Servalan’s non-followers said.  
‘I keep you safe,’ Servalan said.  
‘From what? I’m a pilot – a reasonable pilot – so there’ll always be work.’  
‘You, an ex-Federation man?’ Servalan taunted.  
‘Not everybody can be choosy about whom they employ – and they’s usually prepared to pay for it. Quite a lot on occasion.’ There was an implicit insult to Servalan in the statement – and some of the others had picked it up too.  
‘What are #your# plans then?’ Servalan asked.  
‘To get rich and keep the authorities off our backs.’  
General muttered agreement on this.

Back to the usual routine then.  
No doubt, Servalan thought, Blake had had his followers better organised than she had hers. One day she would repeat his path to power and their positions would be reversed again.  
*If * she could get her followers to do what she wanted.


End file.
